Manufacturers and sellers of products and services, including wholesalers and retailers, use a variety of marketing techniques to attract and maintain loyal customers. Billions of dollars are spent on promoting and advertising products and services. However, a sizable percentage of the marketing dollar that is spent encompasses consumers who essentially have no interest in the advertised product or service. Coupons, for example, are widely circulated and utilized to promote products identified by the coupons. A major objective of coupons is to motivate the consumer to buy the product identified by the coupon. Coupons are particularly advantageous when a consumer purchases a product that the consumer would not normally purchase. That is, the coupon acts as an incentive for the consumer to buy the product. Not only does the marketer of the coupon associated products benefit from a coupon that attracts a new customer, the individual customer gains by receiving additional value for purchasing a desirable product in the form of a discount or other worthwhile incentive. The coupons are made available to potential consumers through a variety of distribution channels, such as newspapers and home mailings. A great majority of such coupons, however, are not redeemed. Particular methods and apparatuses have previously been advanced for the purpose of increasing the success of such coupons. One known method generates coupons at the time of check-out. The generated coupon depends on one or more products that were purchased. For example, the generated coupon identifies a product that directly competes with a product that was just purchased. The newly generated coupon can then be redeemed the next time the consumer shops for such products. A drawback to this marketing approach relates to timing of the purchase using such a coupon. The expectation is that this consumer will bring this coupon with her the next time she shops. This does not always occur due to the time delay between the two shopping events. Another devised method is directed to generating coupons in or near the store before shopping is completed. Such coupons are generated for consumers who are expected to redeem the coupons and who have the opportunity to select the products identified in the coupons before they are finished shopping.
Despite these numerous marketing programs that have been advanced, a more effective and efficient way of targeting consumers for particular products and/or services continues to be a major goal of manufacturers and marketers. As with other fields of commerce, when more information is available concerning consumer buying habits and buying intentions, a more effective marketing direction can be formulated and implemented. The problem arises as to how to identify, obtain and use specific information, directed to a specific customer, in an optimal way, particularly in a timely fashion--such as before the purchase of the product or service of interest has occurred.
With respect to consumer products and services, it would be advantageous to know the types or groups of food products that a particular consumer purchases on a regular basis and the brand names of such regularly purchased products. With this information, one or more incentives could be provided to the consumer directed to having the consumer switch brand loyalties to a competitive product. Likewise, highly beneficial consumer information includes the intention of a particular consumer to purchase in the near future such consumer goods as a vehicle or a major appliance. Once that intention is made known to the marketer, advertising efforts and incentives can be made to this particular purchaser for the purpose of influencing the brand of product or consumer item that is purchased. A key aspect relates to identifying and obtaining consumer related information in a timely manner. If such information is not obtained in a reasonably prompt manner, the consumer might have already purchased the product of interest.
The conducting of market surveys is well-established. A known system and method conducts surveys electronically utilizing a host system and a number of panelist stations. Survey questions are downloaded selectively to one or more panelist stations. Response data from the survey questions is transmitted to the host system for processing.
Even though such market survey systems have been devised, as well as widespread use of consumer purchasing incentives, such as coupons, is occurring in the marketplace, there remains a strong demand for a system and method that more directly targets consumers, who have an expressed interest in defined consumer items, but before they actually purchase such items from manufacturers or marketers.